Condenser pliers



March 29, 1966 E. E. MITCHELL CONDENSER PLIERS Filed March 2, 1964 22 usI2;

FIG. 2.

EARL E. MITCHELL ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,242,560 CONDENSERPLIERS Earl E. Mitchell, P.O. Box 10006, Fort Worth, Tex. Filed Mar. 2,1964, Ser. No. 348,484 2 Claims. (Cl. 29203) This invention relates topliers which are designed especially for convenience in attaching leadwires to an electric condenser of a type which is commonly employed as acapacitor for the ignition of a small gasoline engine, while thecondenser is in place in the engine housing.

The pliers of the invention are peculiarly adapted for use inconjunction with a cylindrical electric condenser which is characterizedby its small size, whereby it is difiicult to handle manually, and whichhas a binding post aligned with its longitudinal axis and extendinglongitudinally outwardly from one of its ends, said binding post havinga hole extending transversely through it near its outer end forengagement by a pair of lead wires, and a compression spring surroundingsaid binding post, and confined between said hole and the adjacent endof the condenser when fully compressed, for frictional yieldableengagement with said wires and the adjacent end of the condenser toprevent displacement of said wires from said binding post.

A condenser as described may be no more than about 1 /2 inches long andabout /8 of an inch in diameter, for example, and the binding post andthe compression spring may be several times smaller than the condenser,so that it is difiicult to depress the spring while at the same timethreading the two lead wires through the small hole in the binding post,particularly in locations where space is limited. The spring often iscatapulted into the air and lost, and for that reason it is commonpractice to provide a spare spring for each condenser as it is offeredfor sale.

One manufacturer of such condensers provides a small annular tool formedof plastic material which is engageable over the outer end of thebinding post, for temporary'use in depressing the spring preparatory toinserting the ends of the lead wires in the hole of the binding post,but such tool, which weighs practically nothing and is very smallitself, may be inadvertently displaced and lost along with the spring.

Pliers have heretofore been provided for use in attaching lead wires toa condenser as described, said pliers having a first jaw engageable withthe end of the condenser opposite the binding post, and a second jawhaving an end portion engageable with the outer end of the springwhereby the springis depressed upon advancing said jaws relative to'eachother, but such pliers have handles which are substantially alignedinversely with the respective jaws so that in use the operators handnecessarily is positioned in his line of vision and obscures the work.

An object of this invention is to provide pliers for use as describedhaving handles which extend substantially at right angles to therespective jaws thereof so that in use the operators hand is removedfrom his line of vision and the work may be observed satisfactorily atall times.

Another object of the invention is to provide pliers as described inwhich one of the jaws thereof has a bifurcated end portion whereby it isadapted to straddle the outer end of the binding post while at the sametime depressing the spring, upon advancing the jaws relative to eachother, and in which said one of the jaws has an inclined groovebeginning at one side thereof and communicating with the notch betweenopposite sides of said bifurcated end portion for use in guiding theends of the lead wires through the hole of the binding post in thedepressed position of the spring.

3,242,560 Patented Mar. 29, 1966 A further object of the invention is toprovide pliers as described which are formed of light gauge, narrowmetal strips characterized by their resilience, and in which the handlesare comparatively long relative to the lengths of the jaws. The jaws arespaced apart a variable distance, corresponding substantially .to thelengths of the condenser and the compression spring together in thecompressed and expanded positions, respectively, of the spring, and thehandles are spaced apart a variable distance, relatively shorter thanthe spacing between the jaws, and abut one another in the compressedposition of the spring to thereby limit movement of the jaws, uponadvancing them relative to each other, whereby crushing of the condenseris prevented.

A further object of the invention is to provide pliers as describedwhich are characterized by their simplicity and may be fabricatedinexpensively, and which are attractive in their appearance, eflicientin operation, and durable in use.

These and other objects will become apparent from the followingdescription and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal view showing a condenser as described inplace, such as in the housing of an englue, and showing pliers embodyingthe invention, illus trating the manner in which the pliers are used todepress the compression spring preparatory to inserting the adjacentends of a pair of wires in the hold of the binding post.

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view on an enlarged scale showingthe condenser and its binding post, the compression spring, and endportions of a pair of wires.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale showingthe bifurcated end portion of one of the jaws, said jaw having aninclined groove beginning on one of its sides and communicating with thenotch between opposite sides of said bifurcated end portion.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal View on an enlarged scale, partlybroken away to show details of construction, showing a portion of theapparatus illustrated in FIGURE 1, illustrating the manner in which saidinclined groove is used to guide the adjacent ends of the lead wiresthrough the hole of the binding post, in the compressed position of thespring.

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4, showing the spring in itsexpanded position, in frictional, yieldable engagement with said wires,whereby said wires are prevented from being displaced from said bindingpost.

Referring to the exemplary form of the invention shown in the drawing,the numeral 10 designates generally an electric condenser as hereinafterdescribed, which as shown in FIGURE 1 is employed as a capacitor for anignition system, shown fragment-arily and indicated generally by thenumeral 11, and is removably connected to the housing thereof by abracket 12.

The condenser 10 is cylindrical and has a binding post 13 aligned withits longitudinal axis and extending longitudinally outwardly from one ofits ends. The binding post 13 has a hole 14 extending transverselythrough it near its outer end for engagement by a pair of wires 15. Acompression spring 16 surrounds the binding post 13 and is confinedbetween the hole 14 and the adjacent end of the condenser 10 when fullycompressed, for frictional, yie'ldable engagement with the wires 15 andthe adjacent end of the condenser 10 to positively prevent displacementof the wires 15 from the binding post 13.

The numeral 17 generally indicates pliers embodying the invention ashereinafter described. The pliers 17 include a first elongated lever 18and a second elongated lever 19 which are formed of light gauge, narrowmetal strips characterized by their resilience. The first and secondlevers 18, 19 are bent right angularly intermediate their ends to formrelatively longer and shorter end portions, and are pivotally connectedto each other, as at 20, at a point where the longer end portion of thesecond lever 19, which is longer than the corresponding end portion ofthe first lever 18, crosses the shorter end portion of the first lever18, which is longer than the corresponding end portion of the secondlever 19.

The pliers 17 have first and second jaws 21, 22 and first and secondhandles 23, 24 corresponding to portions of the first and secondelongated levers 18, 19, respective-1y, on opposite sides of theirpivotal connection 20, the handles 23, 24 being comparatively longrelative to the lengths of the jaws 21, 22.

While the first handle 23 and the second jaw 22 are bent right angularlyintermediate their ends, the outer end portions of the handles 23, 24,which are arranged parallel .to each other in one position thereof,extend substantially at right angles to the outer end portions of therespective jaws 21, 22, which likewise are arranged parallel to eachother in one position thereof.

The outer end prtions of the jaws 21, 22 are spaced apart a variabledistance, corresponding substantially to the lengths of the condenserand the compression spring 16 together in the compressed and expandedpositions, respectively, of the spring 16, and the outer end portions ofthe handles 23, 24 are spaced apart a variable distance, relativelyshorter than the spacing between the outer end portions of the jaws 21,22, and abut one another in one position thereof to thereby limitmovement of the jaws 21, 22 upon advancing them relative to each other.

As shown best in FIGURE 3, the extreme outer ends of the jaws 21, 22, oreither of them, are bifurcated, as at 25, and have an inclined groove 26therein beginning at one side thereof and communicating with the notchbetween opposite sides of the bifurcated end portion 25.

In operation, the outer end portion of one of the jaws 21 is engageablewith the end of the condenser 10 opposite its binding post 13, and thebifurcated end portion 25 of the other of the jaws 22 is caused tostraddle the outer end of the binding post 13, while at the same timedepressing the spring 16 upon squeezing the handles 23, 24 together. Theinclined groove 26 provides a passage between said other of the jaws 21,22 and the adjacent end of the spring 16 for use in guiding the adjacentends of the wires into the hole 14 of the binding post 13. Crushing ofthe condenser 10 is positively prevented by abutment of the outer endsof the handles 23, 24 against each other, to thereby limit relativemovement of the jaws .21, 22, as above described, and by the inherentresilience of the elongated levers 18, 19 and the lengths of the handles23, 24 relative to the lengths of the jaws 21, 22.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary construction herein shownand described, but may be varied within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. In pliers for use in attaching lead wires to a cylindrical electriccondenser which is characterized by its small size, and which has abinding post alignedyvith its longitudinal axis and extendinglongitudinally outwardly from one of its ends, said binding post havinga hole extending transversely through it near its outer end forengagement by said lead wires, and a compression spring surrounding saidbinding post, and confined between said hole and .the adjacent end ofthe condenser when fully compressed, for frictional, yiedable engagementwith said wires and the adjacent end of the condenser to positivelyprevent displacement of said wires from said binding post, thecombination of a pair of elongated levers pivotally connected to eachother intermediate their ends and having a first jaw portion engag-eablewith the end of the condenser opposite the said binding post, and havinga second jaw portion engageable with the outer end of said springwhereby said spring is depressed upon advancing said jaws relative toeach other, said levers having handle portions which extendsubstantially at right angles to the respective jaw portions so that inuse the operators hand is removed from his line of vision and the workmay be observed satisfactorily at all times, said second jaw portionbeing bifurcated at its extreme outer end whereby it is adapted tostraddle the outer end of said binding post, while at the same timedepressing said spring, and having an in clined groove therein,beginning at one side thereof and communicating with the notch betweenopposite sides of said bifurcated end portion, providing a passagebetween said second jaw portion and the adjacent end of said spring foruse in guiding said wires through the hole of said binding post, in thecompressed position of said spring 2. The structure of claim 1, saidlevers being formed of light gauge, narrow metal strips characterized bytheir resilience, said handle portions being comparatively long relativeto the lengths of said jaw portions, said jaw portions being spacedapart a variable distance, corresponding substantially to the lengths ofsaid condenser and said compression spring together in the compressedand expanded positions, respectively, of said spring, and said handleportions being spaced apart a variable distance, relatively shorter thanthe spacing between said jaw portions, whereby they abut one another inthe compressed position of said spring to thereby limit movement of saidjaw portions, upon advancing the-m relative to each other, wherebycrushing of the condenser is positively prevented.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 241,353 5/1881Grein 81-415 X 1,400,027 12/1921 Coddington 29221 1,450,069 3/19'23 Fick29268 X 2,505,564 4/1950 Meyer 29227 2,583,876 1/1952 Penkawskas 292682,913,943 11/1959 Carlson et al 81428 X 3,143,790 8/1964 Over et al.29203 WHITMORE A. WILTZ, Primary Examiner.

1. IN PLIERS FOR USE IN ATTACHING LEAD WIRES TO A CYLINDRICAL ELECTRICCONDENSER WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY ITS SMALL SIZE, AND WHICH HAS ABINDING POST ALIGNED WITH ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS AND EXTENDINGLONGITUDINALLY OUTWARDLY FROM ONE OF ITS ENDS, SAID BINDING POST HAVINGA HOLE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THROUGH IT NEAR ITS OUTER END FORENGAGEMENT BY SAID LEAD WIRES, AND A COMPRESSION SPRING SURROUNDING SAIDBINDING POST, AND CONFINED BETWEEN SAID HOLE AND THE ADJACENT END OF THECONDENSER WHEN FULLY COMPRESSED, FOR FRICTIONAL YIELDABLE ENGAGEMENTWITH SAID WIRES AND THE ADJACENT END OF THE CONDENSER TO POSITIVELYPREVENT DISPLACEMENT OF SAID WIRES FROM SAID BINDING POST, THECOMBINATION OF A PAIR OF ELONGATED LEVERS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO EACHOTHER INTERMEDIATE THEIR ENDS AND HAVING A FIRST JAW PORTION ENGAGEABLEWITH THE END OF THE CONDENSER OPPOSITE THE SAID BINDING POST, AND HAVINGA SECOND JAW PORTION ENGAGEABLE WITH THE OUTER END OF SAID SPRINGWHEREBY SAID SPRING IS DEPRESSED UPON ADVANCING SAID JAWS RELATIVE TOEACH OTHER, SAID LEVERS HAVING HANDLE PORTIONS WHICH EXTENDSUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE RESPECTIVE JAW PORTIONS SO THAT INUSE THE OPERATOR''S HAND IS REMOVED FROM HIS LINE OF VISION AND THE WORKMAY BE OBSERVED SATISFACTORILY AT ALL TIMES, SAID SECOND JAW PORTIONBEING BIFURCATED AT ITS EXTREME OUTER END WHEREBY IT IS ADAPTED TOSTRADDLE THE OUTER END OF SAID BINDING POST, WHILE AT THE SAME TIMEDEPRESSING SAID SPRING, AND HAVING AN INCLINED GROOVE THEREIN, BEGINNINGAT ONE SIDE THEREOF AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE NOTCH BETWEEN OPPOSITESIDES OF SAID BIFURCATED END PORTION, PROVIDING A PASSAGE BETWEEN SAIDSECOND JAW PORTION AND THE ADJACENT END OF SAID SPRING FOR USE INGUIDING SAID WIRES THROUGH THE HOLE OF SAID BINDING POST, IN THECOMPRESSED POSITION OF SAID SPRING.